The Fallacy Strategy

Donald Trump is not a complete idiot, but he says idiotic things all the time. Why? He made it clear that his followers are a sort of cult. In fact, he said that they would not turn against him if he shot someone dead on 5th Ave. So, all he is doing is marketing to this group. He performs the research to learn what it is that they want to hear, and then he says it. He is not so much a leader, as a follower. You can see this in action at his rallies. All he is doing is echoing his base’s own fears and bias and it works. The crowds cheer wildly when they hear the lies simply because they enjoy hearing them and then they aggressively support him so they can keep hearing more. That is how hustlers pull off their scams and Mr. Trump is a hustler of historic proportions.

The only important thing for Mr. Trump is winning. He has no concern how the perceived victory is achieved as long as it happens. He is his own best salesman. Like selling faulty toasters or fake cures for diseases, the sale is the key. Money is the goal. Power is the end that justifies the means. In my opinion, he is not immoral, he is amoral. There is an empty hole where his conscious should reside and that is the scary thing. He has no feelings except for himself.

That is why his absurd comment on the environment is so horribly dangerous. I mean, when you or I get a fever, we get chills. Right? That is why we are seeing such radical swings in our weather that are causing so much damage. The Earth has a fever, and mankind plays a large part in causing it. Instead of facing this issue head-on, Mr. Trump is trying to force us to focus on people trying to enter our country at the southern border while at the same time he claims that the real danger even his own administration and the Pentagon say we are facing, is fake. By doing so he will be able to continue to profit in massive ways while attempting to turn his term in office into a despotic regime. The Apprentice in the White House.

I have no doubt that none of this will end well for Mr. Trump or his family. There is so much corruption hiding just beneath the surface that the Mueller report and NY State prosecutions will be devastating. In my opinion, the fall of the Trump faux empire will dwarf the Madoff downfall. The problem is that way too much time is being wasted while Mr. Trump is “winning” instead of repairing the very real issues we face, including the environment.

Yes, the end of this nonsense is in sight, but it is perfectly clear that Mr. Trump is capable of doing anything to protect his position, his power. If he is willing to lead the world to the edge of existence simply for more profit, he is capable of doing something unimaginable to protect himself. In Richard Nixon’s final days in office, there were those around him who were willing to protect the country while Nixon slipped into a bourbon-fueled depression. I am not certain we have that kind of patriot in place now. I certainly hope so.

Meanwhile, over the Thanksgiving holiday, Mr. Trump was asked what he was thankful for. He said he was thankful for himself, and his supporters loved it. No, Mr. Trump is not an idiot. In my opinion, Mr. Trump is a raging egomaniac who will say or do anything to gain power. I don’t believe his followers are necessarily idiots either, however, anyone who falls for Mr. Trump’s line of hustle has been totally duped and will likely only find out when it is too late. During the interim, the Trump base has the rest of the Republican Party shaking in their boots as they consider how to deal with the fallacious madness they do not really believe in. Hunter Thompson referred to this political strategy as fear and loathing. It certainly applies now.

In the end, no one and no living thing will escape the effects of climate degradation and that is a fact. With this in mind, it is time for our nation, indeed our world, to finally rid ourselves of this disastrous willingness to swallow complete lies just because they feel good. The last election showed that we are capable of responding in a positive manner. The next election must drive that point home.